Car



oct. 20,1925. 1,551,587

H. E. HODGSON CAR med nec. 15. 1924 2 sneetssneet 1 A TTOHN E Y Oct. 20, 1925-.

. 1,557,587 H. E. HoDGsoN GAR Filed nec. 15, 1924 2 sheets-sheet 2 A TTUHNE;

CII

Patented oct. 2o, i925.

UNITED STATES HARRIETTE ENSLEY HOIDGSON, NEW YORK, N.) Y.

CAR.

Application filed. December 15, 1924. Serial No. 755,871.

To all whom may concern.'

Be it known that I, I-Ianmn'r'rii ENsLnY I-IonesoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented a4 .lines can do much more than keep pace with increase of population. A large part of those who travel by subway or elevated during rush hours are obliged to stand, and even at other times it is often impossible for passengers to find seats. In a somewhat different degree the same conditions are true of surface lines. The situation urgently demands a remedy, and I have sought to provide a simple and practical one, applicable to either old or new cars, and requiring no radical changes. Numerous arrangements in cars of ordinary seats have been tried, but in no case has the seating capacity been adequate. In contradistinction to such plans, my invention is based upon the thought that real advantage can be secured by partly seating a large number of persons, instead of fully seating only a few while the rest stand. lVith seating provisions such as are herein illust-rated, the seating capacity of a car can be more than doubled, the posture is suiiiciently restful, i

and the average condition of a car full of people is very greatly improved.`

To carry out the invention I have devised whatwI shall term, for convenience, perch seats. In the best embodiment, the car is provided with a narrow longitudinal aisle running substantially the full length of the car, and these perch seats are placed transversely in two rows at opposite sides of the aisle. The seats have vertical frames rising considerably higher than the backs of ordinary car seats, and the frames are placed one behind the other quite close together, forming narrow stalls open to the aisle. The seats proper on these frames are much narrower than regular seats, being, for example, about six inches wide from front to back, and are placed high on the frames, approximately half again as high as ordinary seats, the design being such that the passengers perch on the ledge-like seats,

lightly bracing themselves with their feet against footrails on the frames in front or against the ioor. The seats proper are slightly inclined forward and downward, and they arereversibly connected to the frames so that they can be shifted from one side to the other, according to the direction of travel. Short brackets with inclined tops on the frame sustain the seats in either position, and these brackets maybe either fixed, in `which event thereare two seats on opposite sides of the frames, or they may be movable from one side of the Vframes to the other.

In theY accompanying drawings illustrating the invention:

Fig/1 is a ioor plan ofacar embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal `sectional elevation; A

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section ona larger scale;

Fig; I is a vertical section on the line 4% of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a detail horizontal section illustrating a reversible and foldable bracket.

`The floor of the car is marked l, the

`sides 2, `and the ends 3. There are center and end doors on each side, marked, respectively, l and 5,L with central and end door spaces 6 and 7. The longitudinal aisle running from one end door space 7 to the other and intersecting the center door space 7, is marked 8. f v

'Ihe seats 9 are arranged vtransversely rows on opposite sides ofthe aisle. an aisle about sixteen inches wide, there can be a row of seats on one side to accommodate'three ,personsfeach, `and a` row on the other side to accommodate two passengers each. The total seating capacity, as shown, is one hundred and ten. It will be understood, however, that all figures and proportions are merely illustrative. Greater width of aisle, and more seating room for the individual passenger, would result if seats were designed to yhold only two passengers on both sides of the aisle, and such a modifica-l tion is to be regarded as within the invention.

The seats have vertical, transverse, supporting and back frames 10, which are irmly anchored in the floor. The frames in each row are placed comparatively close together, as the passengers do not assume a full sitting position. As a matter of illuswWith the frames.

tration, a spacing of sixteen inches, or somewhat more, may be understood.

The ledge-like seats proper are marked 11. The width of these seats, from front to rear, may be about six inches, but again I do not wish to limit myself to precise measureme-nts. They are designed to be wide enough to afford a sufficient rest to a. person ina half-sitting, half-standing position, with his feet upon the floor or upon the foot rail 12 of the frame in front. The seats incline at a slight angle, as shown. Their height from theV floor is necessarily considerably greater than that ofordinary car seats. I-

oontemplate a height of about thirty inches, but this is, of course, subject to Variation.

The seats are pivoted or otherwise movably connected to the frames, so that they can be reversed to extend either forwardly or rearwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the frames having open spaces whichY permit of this movement. Pivoting of the seats alsopermits them to be turned up to a substantially vertical position, when passengers enter or leave the stalls. Friction will prevent the seats being turned all the way over at times, or if thought desirable suitable means may be provided for that purpose.

The seats are supported upon' small brackets 12 on the frames, the tops of these brackets being inclined. There may be fixed pairs of these'brackets on opposite sides of Ifig. 5 indicates a movable -form of-braclet 12, which is hingedl to the support so that it can be turned 'from one side tothe other, and can also, be disposed in VVthe plane 'ofl the frame if' notv in use. Again', friction or more positive means may be vrelied upontokeep such brackets in the positions desired. i

rI "he upper parts ofv the frames 1,0 carry back-rests. These maybe in the nature of fiat boards or panels asshown at 13 atA the leftV of F ig. 8, or,l may lbe composed offbars 13a close together, asl illustrated at the right off thewsamfe View, though I prefer the former.

YVThe frames arev preferably made in an inexpensive way of piping, and at the sides neXt .the walls of the car they may be tied together by longitudinal members 14 and 15.

rI `he door spaces 6 and 7 are preferably, though not necessarily, used for seating, to the extent of four of the perch seats as illustrated. The frames adjacent the doors may therefore be provided with short wings 16 to afford lateral support for the shoulders of passengers occupying these seats, to obviate vany danger of accident when the doors are open. y

A preferred and simple embodiment of the invention has been described, but it will b e understood that the invention is not limited to the precise form and arrangement shown and described, and that there may be numerous changes in the general plan without departingffrom essentials.

That I claim as new is:

1. A passenger car in which large seating capacity is obtained by perch seats, comprising vertical framesplaced close one behind another a nd narrow, ledge-like seats on the frames at a height 'materially higher than ordinary car seats, the said seats being reversibly mounted on the frames so that lthey can be shifted from one side to the other of the frames.

2. The herein described perch seat for rail-road cars comprising a vertical frame, a narrow, ledge-like seat on the frame at a height materially higher than ordinary car seats, said seat being reversibly mounted on the frame so that it can be shifted from one side to the other, and short brackets on the frame to support the seat in either positon.

3. The herein described perch seat for railroadcars comprising a vertical frame, a narrow, ledge-like seat on the frame at a heightmaterially higher than ordinary car seats, said seat being 'reversibly mounted on the frame so that it `can be shifted from one side to the other, and short brackets ony the frame to support the seat in either position at ran inclination. l

HAR/RIET-TE EN'SLEY HODGrSON.y 

